Discovering Bright Ideas

Mr. Spencer Trask ran the first electric lighting business. One hundred years later, Spencer Trask & Co. founded the laser light venture that powers the Internet today.

From startup to $1 Billion Valuation

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We discover big ideas and help transform them into world-changing companies.

Our ventures have created livelihoods and technologies that saved tens of thousands of lives and changed the world for millions.

Our innovators have delivered net worth and net-worthiness.

Lighting up the World

Edison’s invention of the incandescent light bulb – the very symbol of a bright idea – was supported by Mr. Spencer Trask, the president of the world’s first electricity company.

Lighting up the Internet

Gordon Gould, the inventor of the laser, and his firm joined David Huber and Spencer Trask & Co. to found the first company that deployed mass-capacity light amplification technology powering the Internet.

Leading the Immunotherapy Revolution

Our venture with Dr. Jonas Salk developed and tested an immune-based cell therapy that became the first FDA-approved cancer vaccine.

Harnessing Food as Medicine

With backing from Spencer Trask & Co., Stefany Shaheen co-founded the evidence-based nutrition coaching venture that developed a comprehensive Food-as-Medicine platform to improve outcomes and cost for chronic conditions.

Democratizing the Law

To democratize the law, our venture with Ed Walters merged with its overseas counterpart to form the first global legal database.

Protecting Supply Chains with AI

Following the merger with our AI platform, Jennifer Besciglie’s venture became the first real-time supply chain risk monitoring company and then reached unicorn status.

Saving Women's Lives

The first genome company — our venture with Dr. Walter Gilbert — discovered the BRCA1 gene associated with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer, helping to shift medicine from treating symptoms to predicting and preventing the root causes of disease.

Leading the Stem Cell Revolution

The stem cell discovery by Dr. Arnold Caplan became the first approved cell drug.

Building a More Inclusive Financial System

Beginning with our inclusive crowdfunding platform, Ryan Feit exchanged ownership with the creator of the first USDC, the global internet money system that has facilitated $10T in transactions.

DFMsim: Revolutionizing Semiconductor Manufacturing with AI

DFMsim would create a “Virtual Factory” to simulate the entire semiconductor design and production process. Raj Raheja conceived the idea and CEO Anantha Sethuraman led the development of 300 simulation modules. As the first AI company in semiconductor manufacturing, DFMsim’s technology, integrated into Applied Materials’ AIx platform, is driving the Age of Artificial Intelligence by revolutionizing chip production.